The Heroes of Ancient Greece

Prometheus

(i) Primary Sources

"Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus, is the primary source for this legend. Another primary source is "Works and Days" by Hesiod (a contemporary of Homer)

(ii) Main Points of the Legend of Prometheus

• Name - forethought - he was regarded as a prophet
• Titan
• Helped Zeus (Olympian) against Titans
• Gift of fire and other knowledge learnt from Athene - to man
• Zeus annoyed - Pandora to punish.

(iii) Further Legends associated with Prometheus include:

• His rescue by Heracles
• Io
• Pandora's Box

(iv) Plants associated with Prometheus

• Fennel - hid fire in stalk of fennel
• Crocus - grew from blood
• Saffron - double stem

(v) Influence on European Culture

(vi) Suggested Activities for Students

• Discuss reasons why fire would have been important for man
• Draw a picture or write a story or poem about Prometheus
• Act out the story - simple plot makes it very suitable.

Perseus

(i) Obtain a Map of the Mycenae area to put its location into context

(ii) The Legend

• Perseus and his mother ~ ark ~ sea ~ Dictys fisherman
• Brought to King Polydectes of Seriphos
  Polydectes wanted to marry Dana ~ but Perseus did not want this - offered Gorgon's head to Polydectes
• Set off to find the Gorgons
• Help from:
  Athene - Shield
  Hermes - Sickle
• Needed sandals, wallet, helmet from Stygian Nymphs
• Visited Graeae - three sisters of Gorgons - one eye, one tooth
• Went to Stygian Nymphs for sandals, wallet, helmet
• Went to Gorgons:
  Medusa - mortal
  Stheno - immortal
  Euryale - immortal
• They had serpents for hair, huge teeth and protruding tongues
• Medusa was so ugly that she turned all to stone
• Perseus cut off Medusa's head and out popped:
  • Pegasus, the winged horse
  • Chrysaor the warrior (father of Geryon a three headed man, siamese children?)
  • He put the head into a wallet and fled
• On return journey
• Showed head to Atlas ~ Mount Atlas
• Fell in love with Andromeda
• At Seriphos turned Polydectes and his guests to stone - stone circle
• Head to Athene - aegis
• Ruled in Tiryns
• Founded Mycenae

(iii) Main Points

• Name - destroyer
• Son of Zeus and Danaë
• Killed Medusa, the Gorgon
• Turned Atlas into a mountain (Mount Atlas) by showing him the Gorgon's Head
• Founded Mycenae - Mycos - Mushroom

(iv) Primary Sources

• Gorgon Head on the Pediment of Temple Cat Selinus in Sicily
• Gorgon Pediment, temple of Artemis, Corcyra
• Gorgon Vases (Richter: "A Handbook of Greek Art" )
• Coins - (e. g. Pegasus)

(v) Influence on European Culture

(vi) Additional reading material for Teachers

• "Aspects of Greek Life", Longman

(vii) Suggested Activities for Students

• Draw a picture of Medusa, Graeae and Pegasus
• Hold a class quiz on the story
• Prepare a series of drawings based on different aspects of the story. Each part could be done by a different group of students in the class.

(viii) Related Topics which may be associated with Perseus

• Athenian Pottery
• Perseus occurred as a theme on the Black Figure vases of the Archaic period
• Distinguish between Black & Red Figure Ware
• History of Art
  Archaic - Auxerre Kore (Louvre)
  Classical - Venus Genetrix (Louvre)
  Hellenistic - Laocoon

Heracles (Latin Hercules)

(i) Examine a Map showing Argos, Thebes, Mycenae, Crete and Thrace

(ii) Main Points

• Born at Thebes
• Name means Glory of Hera
• Son of Alcmene and Zeus, Great-grandson of Perseus
• Also called Alcides
• Birthday - 4th day of every month
• Symbols - lion skin and club - short tunic arrows (see Richter: "Handbook of Greek Art")
• To rule at Argos but Eurystheus born first
• Early life - great strength
• Classical education
• The Straits of Gibraltar - The Pillars of Heracles

(iii) Heracles had to perform 12 labours for Eurystheus in order to become immortal.

The Twelve Labours of Heracles are given below. Details of each labour will be obtained from The Greek Myths by R. Graves and from Who's who in the Ancient World by Betty Radice.

(iv) The Twelve Labours of Heracles:

1. To Kill Nemean Lion
2. To kill Lernaean Hydra (Lerna near Argos)
3. To capture Hind of Ceryneia
4. To bring the Boar of Erymanthus back alive
5. To clean the stables of King Augeas
6. To kill the Stymphalian Birds in Arcadia
7. To bring the Cretan Bull back alive to Crete
8. To bring the Mares of Diomedes back alive from Thrace to Eurystheus
9. To bring to Eurystheus the Girdle of Queen Hippolyte, Queen of the Amazons
10. To capture the Cattle of Geryon
11. To bring the Apples of the Hesperides to Eurystheus
12. To bring Cerberus up from the Lower World

(v) Death of Heracles

When Heracles fell in love with another woman, Iole, his wife, Deianina, sent him a poisoned shirt. Its poisons were released when he put the shirt on. In despair,

• he climbed on a pyre and died
• mortal part to Tartarus
• immortal part to Olympus
• becomes porter of Olympus
• the Athenians were the first to worship him
• Deianina killed herself after his death.

(vi) Primary Sources

• Euripides: "Heracles" and "Alcestis"
• Aristophanes: "The Frogs"
• Pediment of Temple of Aphaia, Aegina (see Richter: "Handbook of Greek Art")
• Metopes - Temple of Zeus Olympia (The Labours of Heracles)
• The Farnese Hercules (copy of a statue by Lysippus in Naples Museum)
• Vase - Nessos Painter (see Richter: "Handbook of Greek Art")
• Paintings - Pompeii

(vii) Influence on European Culture

(viii) Suggested Activities for Students

• Draw pictures of some or all of the Labours of Heracles
• Hold a class quiz based on the twelve labours
• List 12 tasks which would form a basis for a student's own story

Expand the student's capacity for written work in English by describing

• a monster
• a character
• a place
• ancestors
• using a journey and describing events on the way

Jason

(i) Using a Map, show the location of Hellespont and Colchis

(ii) How the Hellespont got its name. (Modern Dardanelles).

In order to put the legend of Jason into context it is necessary to tell the story of Helle and her brother Phrixus. While they were escaping from their cruel step-mother on a winged and golden-fleeced ram they had to fly over the sea. Helle fell off the ram and drowned. The point where she drowned became known as the Hellespont. The fleece of their golden ram was taken to Colchis, on the Black Sea, where it was guarded by a dragon.

(iii) Legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece

• Originally called Diomedes - given the name Jason by the centaur who reared him
• Son of Aeson, who should have had the throne, but his half-brother Pelias took it
• Prophecy that Pelias would lose throne to a one-sandalled man
• Jason arrived with one sandal - other lost crossing river with Hera on back (old woman)
• Pelias sent Jason to get the Golden Fleece guarded by dragon - in belief he would die
• Ship built by Argus - called Argo
• Heroes went in ship with Jason - Argonauts (Orpheus and Hercules go too)
• Went to palace of King Aestes at Colchis
• Medea (King's daughter) fell in love with Jason
• To get the fleece he had to perform the following tasks:
  1. Yoke two bulls made by Hephaestus
  2. Plough field of Ares
  3. Sow Serpent's teeth
  4. Get by the dragon
• Medea (witch) helped and he got the fleece
• He married Medea. They returned to Corinth. He was unfaithful. She killed her children in revenge.
• Jason died later when a piece of the Argo fell on his head.

(iv) Primary Sources

• Apollonius Rhodius: "Argonautica"
• Euripides: "Medea"
• Pausanias - saw the memorial to the children in Corinth (Pausanias: "Guide to Greece" Book II).
• Parthenon Metope - centaur (copy National Gallery)

(v) Influence on later European Culture

(vi) Suggested Activities for Students

• Draw or find a picture based on the story
• Similarities and differences when compared with the story of Cinderella - step-mother, one sandal, ugly sisters, tasks